A New Generation

For Cara Brown, being a waitress meant no paid time off, no health insurance, no voice and no real future. The bright 29-year-old who comes from a union family wanted more for herself. She realized her future was with the union.

“My Dad was a parts inspector at Boeing, and I remember being little and going to my Dad’s membership meetings. I saw how much the union affected these folks’ lives and I saw the union stepping up to take care of its members,” Brown said. “It was really moving to me and it’s something I wanted to be involved in.”

Brown is now lead rental sales agent at Avis Rent a Car at Seattle’s SeaTac International Airport, and has been a shop steward with Local 117 for the past three years. She is also involved with Teamsters for Tomorrow, a group for Teamsters age 35 and under that is promoting the participation of young Teamsters in their union.

“I’m really excited about Teamsters for Tomorrow, about getting young people involved in the union and making a difference,” Brown said.

Brown says she would like to see labor education become a part of the curriculum in high schools across the country, to teach young people about the importance of organizing and the benefits of being in a union.

Pitching In
As part of Teamsters for Tomorrow, Brown is eager to mention the group’s recent activities, which included a youth summit in November that was attended by about 300 members, as well as a toy drive held during the holidays that benefited laid off members. They collected over 300 toys for 65 children in 30 families. Each family received a ham for Christmas dinner, which was personally delivered by the group.

“We’re getting young people in our workplaces excited about helping others, about being in the union, and seeing the value of it,” Brown said. “They’re seeing a difference, like with the toy drive where they had a positive impact on our brothers and sisters in need. The difference is tangible.”

Brown sees a difference, in terms of priorities, between her peers and older members. She says that while younger members seem more concerned with negotiating paid time off or immediate pay raises into their contracts, Teamsters with longevity are more concerned with issues like retirement and having a good pension plan. Brown believes that young Teamsters should think more about their future, since they are the future of the union.

The Teamsters for Tomorrow group provides Brown and her fellow Teamsters, many of whom are the youngest employees in their workplaces, with the opportunity to bond over shared concerns and common experiences.

And they realize they are a new generation and society has changed greatly within their lifetimes.

Newspaper readership has largely been replaced by the Internet, not to mention the popularity of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, which have added a new dimension to communications with and among workers. This is how the next generation of Teamsters is reaching out to their peers.

While a lot has changed since their parents’ and grandparents’ day, Brown believes that more changes still need to come, including further advancements to women’s equality and rights in the workplace.

Brown notes that thanks to her Teamster contract, she and her co-workers have equal pay and fairness at work. Without a contract, their rights would not necessarily be guaranteed.

“Where I work, probably four out of five of us are women. But we have all male managers. Every one of them is a man,” Brown said, explaining that while promotions within management are largely male-dominated, she is happy to be in her current position.

“I’d rather have a guaranteed pay rate, commissions on my sales and job security than be in a position where they tend to clean house every few years,” Brown explains. “I’d rather be in the union.”

Brown believes the key to making any changes in the workplace is to not sit idly by, but to become an active member.

“I’m really ‘pro’ young people getting involved in the union,” Brown said. “I would like to see more.”